3 CANDIDATES BUSILY WOOING DELRAY VOTERS

If you missed Wednesday night's debut of the Delray Beach City Council candidates, don't worry.

Between now and Election Day, Lenny Syrop, Richard Dougherty and Sid Soloway will make at least 20 public appearances. The three candidates for Seat 2 will speak before virtually every civic, homeowner and condominium association in the city.

The three candidates are battling to see who will replace retiring Councilman Arthur Jackel, the only seat up for grabs in the March 11 election.

Dougherty, a retired engineer, began Wednesday's forum by stressing his experience as a public administrator. Doughtery, 68, was the former administrator of the Metropolitan Waste Control Commission of the Twin Cities (Minneapolis-St. Paul) in St. Paul, Minn., an organization with a $65 milion budget and 800 employees, he said. Dougherty insists his years of experience are more important than the number of years he's lived in Delray Beach.

"People can live here for ages and not know any more than me about this city as a whole," he said. "In the past year, I think I've gone around this city looking at the areas of concern more than anybody."

Soloway, 70, stressed his experience on city boards, including the Board of Adjustments and the Land Use Advisory Committee. He currently is a member of the Planning and Zoning Board. A retired busineesman from Bristol, Pa., Soloway said he will concentrate on trimming the city's budget in expectation of sharp cuts through the Gramm-Rudman deficit reduction bill.

"There are some areas of the budget that need tightening," Soloway said. "The cemetery runs at a loss; the tennis courts run at a loss. But nobody knows how much the city is going to lose to Gramm-Rudman."

Syrop, 68, boasted of his involvement with state and county government, as well as his tenure on city boards. Syrop is a former chairman of the Delray Beach Civil Service Board and the Land Use Advisory Committee. He currently sits on the Delray Beach Housing Authority. Syrop said he has lobbied for the abolition of county pockets, and has worked with county officials in an effort to bring the courthouse to downtown.

"I believe my experience with the city, county and state is what we need to get the job done,' Syrop said. "We do not live alone. We must have the cooperation of all levels of government."